Flats, short for Scenery Flats, are flat pieces of theatricalscenery which are painted and positioned on stage so as to give the appearance of buildings or other background. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ... Theatrical scenery is things that are used as setting for a theatrical production. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Flats can be soft or hard covered. Soft covered flats (covered with canvas or muslin) have changed little from their origin in the Italian Renaissance. Hard covered flats with a frame that is perpendicular to the paint surface are referred to as studio or Hollywood flats
Usually flats are built in standard sizes of 8, 10, or 12 feet tall so that walls or other scenery may easily be constructed.
Often affixed to battens flown in from the fly tower for the scenes in which they are used, they may also be stored at the sides of the stage and braced to the floor when in use for an entire performance. A simple Electric batten with two instruments (a fresnel and a scoop). ... A fly tower is a part of a theatre above the stage where flat scenery in the form of gauzes, cloths and flats are stored and flown in when needed. ... In theater, a brace is a piece of wood or metal used to stabilize a set piece such as a flat. ...
Some casts have a tradition of signing the back of flats used on their production.
In a theatre it is relatively easy to control where your audience views the environment.
This would be a horizon line that corresponds to the stage, but does not necessarily reflect the receding lines of the theatre itself.
To make this even more convincing, one may use the attributes of atmospheric perspective on the flats and stage floor to influence the audience's perception.